Cranking device for automobiles.



W. AQLONG.

URANKINGDEVICE FOR AUTOMOBILES APPLICATION FILED 0CT.12,1910.

995,61 3, Patented June 20,1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

1% tmcooeo W. A. LONG.

ORANKING DEVICE FOR AUTOMOBILES APPLIUATION FILED 0GT.12,1910.

995,6 1 3, Patented June 20, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEBT 2.

\ 2 is a top plan view'of WINFIELID A. LONG, 03 BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

CR-ANKING DEVICE FOR AUTOMOBILES.

Epecification of Letters Patent. Application tiled October 12, 1910. $eria1 No. 586,780.

Patented June 20, 1911.

To oil whom it may com-cm:

Be'it known that I, Wrnrmrn A. Lone, a c tizen of the United States of America, re sidin at Baltimorecity, in the State of Mary and, have invented new and useful- Improvements in tomobiles, fication.

Cranking Devices for Auof which the following is a speci- This invention relates to cranking devices for automobiles, andit has for its object to provide simple and. efiicient means whereby of an authe operator may-crank the engine tomobile without leaving his seat.

A further object of theinventionis to provide a cranking device which is equally applicable with little or no structural change to various forms of automobiles or motor vehicles for the purpose of cranking the engines'of the same.

A further object of the invention is to produce a device of the class described which shall be simple in construction and thoroughly efiicient in operation.

With these and other ends in view which will readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the improved construction and novel arrangement and combination .of parts which will be hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings has been illustrated asimple and preferred form of the invent-ion, it being, however, understood that no limitation is necessarily made to the precise structural details therein exhibited, but that changes, alterations and modifications within the scope of the claims may be resorted to when desired.

In the drawings,-'-Figure 1 is a side elevation showing a portion of an automobile to which the invention has been applied. Fig. the same. Fig. 3 is a top plan view showing the cranking device in mesh and ready for operation. Fig. 4 is a detail sideelevation, showing the mechanism in position to begin cranking. sectional detail view taken on the line 55 in Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a sectional detail view taken on the line 6- -6 in Fig. 3. Fig. 7 is a detail view inside elevation and partly in vtion therewith,

Fig. 5 is a section of the forward portion of a rack bar and a portion of the guide frame.

Correspond ng parts in the several figures are denoted by like characters of reference.

Upon the forward portion of an automobile body, a ortion of which is shown at A, 18 mounted t e engine hood B. The engine shaft G carries a slidably supported bevel pinion 1, the hub of which, 2, engages a reduced portion of the engine shaft for rotasaid hub being provided with an annular groove 3. The pinion 1 is normally forced in a rearward direction by the action of a spring 4: interposed between said pinion and a nut or head 5 upon the front of the engine shaft. A shipping lever 6 fulcrumed upon a frame or bracket 7 has a bifurcated end 8 engaging the groove 3 in the hub of the pinion 1,v which latter may thus be moved forward against the tension of the spring a. A cross shaft 9, which is supported for rotation adjacent to and in front of the engine shaft, carries two loosel mounted opposed bevel pinions 10, 10 havin oppositely beveled clutch members 11, 11 adapted to engage clutch collars 12, 12 which are slidably mounted upon the shaft 9 for rotation therewith, said shaft being pro. vided with a portion which is n0n-circular or provided with a key or feather 13, as shown in Fig. 6. A spring 14 interposed between the slidable clutch members 12, 12- serves to hold said clutch members normally in engagement with the corresponding clutch members upon the bevel pinions 10, 10.

It is obvious that when the shaft 9 is rotated in one direction, the clutch member 12 will engage the clutch member 11 uponthc pinion 10 which will thus be rotated with the shaft, while the clutch member 12 will slide idly over the clutch member 11 upon the pinion 10. WVhen the shaft is rotated in the opposite direction, the clutch member 12 will become active and the clutch member 12 will become idle.

Upon a lever stand 15 in proximity to the drivers seat 16 is mounted a lever 17 having a stop 18 whereby its throw may be limited. Pivotally connected with or movement the lever'l'? is a rod or bar 19,- havin a toothed portion forming a rack 20 t at' meshes with a pinion 21 upon the shaft9. 1 Pivoted upon the shaft 9 is a'guideiframe 22 having guide rollers 23 extending -"through and engaging aslot 24 in the rack bar which is thereby held in engagement with the pinion 21. Thebar 19 is provided near its front'end with 2. lug 25 adapted 19' when the rack baris moved in a rearward direction to'engage the shipping'lever .6 and to actuate the latter so as to move the bevel pinion l'against the tension. of the spring 4. i Pivoted upon the engine hood or casing is a-pawl or dog-26 adapted to engage the *Jshippinglever for the purpose of retaining the pinion operated thereby in'projected .position} in engagementwith the bevel pinions" 10, 10., as clearly seen in Figs. 3 and 4. The pawl or dog .26 is provided with a laterally.

extending, pin 27 lying in the path .of a beveled lug 28 which projects from the bar 19 a suitable distance m'rear of the lug 25.;

. 'Whenthe'bar 19 1s moved a sufficient dis- 2 5 tance in a forward direction, the beveled lug'will engage the finger 27. and trip the pawl 26, thus releasing the shipping lever- 6 and permitting the bevel pinion 1 to berestored to its; initial position out of engage- 30 ment with the pinions'l0, IO' by the action "of the spring 4.-

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the ,drawings hereto annexed,'the operation and advantages of this invention will be readily understood. Normally, the bevel pinion l is out of engage- .ment with the pinions 10, 10, and the bar 19 actuated by the operating lever17 will be at the forward end of its throw. When 4oitis desired to crank the engine, the lever 17 is actuated to'move the bar 19 rearwardly until the lug 25 engages the shipping lever (i and places the latter in engagement with the retaining pawl' 26. The bar 19 may now be reciprocated, causingthe rack portion 20 l "to'engage the pinion 21 of the shaft 9 and to oscillate-the latter, thus causing the opinions 10, 10', to alternately actuate the engine shaft through the medium of the pinion 1 As soon as the "ignition has been started, the bar 19 is pushed forward until the beveled lug 28 engages the pin 27 thereby tripping the pawl 26 and releasing the shipping le ver, thus'causing the pinion '1 to become disengaged from the pinions 10, 10. The pawl 26 may be an ordinary gravity pawl, or a spring maybe provided when desired to actuate the same.

From the foregoing description, it will be' seen that this improved device is not only simple-in construction and capableiof being readily applied to various types of auto- -mobiles,'but'*that it will operate equally well without regard .to the elevation .at which the "engine islocated. If'necessary,

the bar 19 might be disposed-- below the 'en gine shaft-and the'eross shaft .9, suchar rangement being" practically. nothing more than 'an Inversion of the arrz fgement here-.-' in shown and'de's'cribed. r Q; Having thus describedifthe invention, what is claimedas 1'1'e w-,;is:-- 3

L be cranking device for automobiles, anengine shaft, "9. h ring-actuated bevel pinion mounted s'lidably upon said shaftfaf'ie shipping lever'to actuate the bevel pinion,

a counter shaft, clutch-actuated bevel pin;- vions to actuate the engine-shaft pinioncon stantly in one'direction whenlthe counter 1 shaft is oscillated, meansf for oscillating the 8Q :COHDtBI shaft, and means forengaging. the" shipping: lever to retain the latter whenithepinionupon the engine shaft is projected I against the tension of its actuating spring. 2. Ina cranking device for automobiles-" an engine. shaft, 'a'sprin'g actuated bevel pinion upon the shaf a counter shaft, op posed bevel pinions upon said shaft, Sflld i-nions' being provided upon-said opposed faces with clutch members, a spring-actuated clutch slidably engaging: the shaft inter-c mediate f the bevel in'ions and adapted to rotate said-bevel p nions alternately when the shaft is oscillated, means forloscillating' the shaft, a shipping-lever engagingthefj bevel pinion upon the en ine shaft to 'roject the latter against te. tension- 0. its actuating spring into mesh with theibev'el pinions on the counter shaft,and meansfor engaging the shipping lever to retain the l 1 0 bevel pinion in projected position upon the engine shaft.

3, In a cranking devlce for automobiles,

an engine shaft-having a slidably supported rack bar, ashipping lever engaging the bevel pinion upon the engine shaft to pro- 'ject' said pinion against the tensionofv-its actuating spring,-a pawl sup orted in the path of the shipping lever, a ug upon the move the latter'intoengagement with thepawl, and a lug upon the rack bar adapted to trip the. pawlto disengage the shipping 4. In a cranking device for automobiles, a counter shaft, opposed'pinions upon said counter shaft, clutch means to actuatethe pinions vin Opposite directions when the counter shaft is oscillated, an engine shaft spring pressed bevel pinion, a counter shaft 105' iio" rack bar to engage the shipping lever to 120- spring pressed pinion s idable upon sai the pinions upon the counter shaft, a

shaft, a shipping lever to project the pinion upon the engine shaft against the tension of its actuating spring intoengagement wit paw to retain the shipping lever with the pinion in projected position, and means for imparting an oscillatory motion to the counter shaft including a pinion uponvsaid shaft, a rack bar supported for reciprocation and meshing with the pinion; said rack bar being provided with a lug to engage the shipping lever to rhove the latter into engagement with the pawl and with a second lug to trip the pawl.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature 15 1 Copies of thi's patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

